1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective devices for shielding or otherwise protecting individuals. The invention has application to protective devices that are suitable for use in athletic activities.
2. Description of Background Art
Individuals that engage in various athletic activities, such as football, hockey, and baseball, for example, wear protective devices that guard against potentially injurious contact with other individuals or objects. For example, a player in the sport of football wears various protective devices (e.g., helmet, shoulder pads, and thigh pads) to prevent or otherwise limit injuries that may occur as a result of contact with other players. A goalkeeper in the sport of hockey generally wears various forms of protective devices (e.g., helmet, gloves, and leg protectors) to prevent injuries arising from contact with the puck or the hockey sticks of other players. Similarly, a catcher in the sport of baseball generally wears a pair of protective devices (i.e., leg protectors) that guard the legs against contact with a baseball.
An exemplary prior art leg protector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,946 to Jurga as including a foot guard, a shin guard, a knee guard, a first thigh guard, and a second thigh guard. Each of the guards are formed from a semi-rigid plate and a padded member positioned on one side of the plate. Whereas the padded members are placed in contact with the individual, the plates face outward. The leg protector also includes a plurality of restraints extending from edges of the guards that are intended to extend around the leg of the individual, thereby securing the leg protector to the leg.
In addition to preventing or otherwise limiting injuries that occur during the course of engaging in the sport of baseball, leg protectors should remain properly positioned on the individual while permitting the individual to freely move. That is, the leg protectors should not limit or otherwise restrain movements of the individual, but the leg protectors should remain positioned in order to impart protection against contact with a baseball. Referring to the Jurga patent, a pair of straps extend vertically from the knee guard to the second thigh guard, and the straps are secured to the first thigh guard.